The present invention generally relates to methods and apparatus for forming optical fibers and, more particularly relates to optical fiber production methods incorporating non-contact fiber centering.
Conventional manufacturing processes for producing optical fibers typically include drawing an optical fiber from an optical fiber preform in a draw furnace, cooling the drawn fiber, and coating the fiber after it is sufficiently cooled. The optical fiber is typically drawn in a furnace at about 2,000° C. and the heat is typically transported to the preform mostly by radiation.